CrossRoad Summer Institute hosted one of its summer sessions on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) this July. Although technically the program’s first official visit to campus in its twenty-year history, it was a homecoming of sorts for CrossRoad.
The Seminary welcomed a group of thirty-two high school juniors and seniors for the intensive ten-day program, held July 5-15. Participants were given a taste of seminary life as they roomed in dormitories, partook in daily prayers at Three Hierarchs Chapel, ate meals at the Seminary refectory, and enjoyed focused classroom sessions with Dr. Peter Bouteneff and Fr. Bogdan Bucur. The group also forayed into Yonkers and New York City. Those trips included several parish visits, including to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Yonkers and St. Nicholas National Shrine in Lower Manhattan, and tours of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) headquarters, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty.
Dr. Peter Bouteneff leads a CrossRoad session.
“CrossRoad started through the GOA and was primarily based at Hellenic College Holy Cross for a while, with wonderful support. But now that it’s grown, we want to make sure it’s available to as many people as possible,” said SVOTS Alumna Ana Legaspi (’25), who returned to campus now as CrossRoad's Summer Programs Director. “Having a program like this at St. Vladimir’s Seminary was a great way to show what the Seminary has to offer and to extend the reach of CrossRoad at the same time. It felt like a very natural partnership and came together really smoothly, especially since Seminary faculty have been involved from the beginning.”
CrossRoad Summer Programs Director Ana Legaspi (SVOTS Class of ’25) returned to campus for the session at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. (Photo: CrossRoad Institute)
CrossRoad’s session on campus was initially brought forward by Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, and was coordinated by Legaspi and senior SVOTS staff member Ted Bazil.
“Members of the Seminary community have been so involved with CrossRoad’s past and present, that the program’s visit felt like welcoming our own back home,” said Dr. Tudorie. “We are thankful for everything CrossRoad does for young Orthodox Christians, and were honored to help facilitate their wonderful work—especially as their emphasis on theological education aligns so closely with our mission.”
Dr. John Barnet, Fr. Thomas Hopko, and Dr. Albert Rossi at a CrossRoad session in 2011.
Members of SVOTS faculty have been actively involved in CrossRoad since its inception in 2004, including Fr. Thomas Hopko, Fr. Alexander Rentel, Dr. Albert Rossi, Dr. John Barnet, and Dr. Michael Legaspi, Ana Legaspi’s father. The CrossRoad initiative began with another alumna, Dr. Anne Bezzerides (’00), who started the program and now serves as its Executive Director.
“Dr. Anne has been wanting to bring the program here for decades,” Legaspi added. “I know she was so happy to see that finally come to fruition.”
Other members of the SVOTS family involved with CrossRoad include Alumna Dr. Jennifer Haddad Mosher (’09), who serves as Research & Educational Design Director, and Dimitrios Rentel, CrossRoad’s Telos Center Manager. Rentel is an incoming seminarian and grew up on campus with his father Fr. Alexander, mother, and siblings.
Participants meet with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon at Three Hierarchs Chapel. (Photo: CrossRoad Institute)
The session at St. Vladimir’s Seminary was CrossRoad’s third of the summer. Two sessions in Boston began the season, and CrossRoad completed its final session of summer 2025 in Southern California.
About the CrossRoad Summer Institute
CrossRoad is a ten-day academic summer institute that prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition in a deep and meaningful way. CrossRoad offers a space for young people to form authentic and lifelong friendships, ask hard questions, and explore their calling as an Orthodox Christian in the 21st century.
To learn more about the program and how to sign up, visit CrossRoad’s website.
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